Memory devices are frequently provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits and/or external removable devices in computers or other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory, including volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may require a source of applied power to maintain its data and is available in a wide-variety of technologies, including random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), among others. Volatile memory stores information that is frequently accessed by a memory controller during operation, and it often exhibits faster read and/or write times than non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory, by contrast, can retain its stored data even when not externally powered. Non-volatile memory is also available in a variety of technologies, including flash memory (e.g., NAND and NOR), phase change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (RRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM or FRAM), and magnetic random access memory (MRAM), among others.
One drawback of some non-volatile memory technologies (e.g., ferroelectric memory, polymer memory, etc.) is that these technologies can suffer from imprint when their memory cells remain in the same data state for a prolonged period of time. When a data state becomes imprinted into a memory cell, the memory cell tends to retain that data state even when the memory controller attempts to erase the memory cell and/or program it to a different data state. Thus, these imprint-prone memory technologies must be periodically refreshed (e.g., by changing the polarity and/or the data state in the memory cells) to prevent data states from imprinting into the memory cells. The number of refreshes required for these non-volatile memory technologies, however, can consume a large amount of energy and a large amount of the active time of the memory, especially as memory technologies become more dense.